Quiz 2 Flashcards
The first three lines of Beowulf in Old English
Hwæt we gardena in geardagum
þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon!
Translate the first three lines of Beowulf word for word
so! the Spear-Danes in days of yore
We have learned of the glory of those great kings,
how those princes what was daring
æþelingas - does this word survive in modern English? If not, why not?
It is from the old English “princes” or “noblemen”. Following the norman conquest, the english language became a mix of old english and norman french. Because the nobility in england would now be french normans, the word “prince” was taken from the french word “Prince”.
what is latin word for prince
Princeps
Danes initially suffer a loss at the hands of Finn, king of the Frisians. Is this a nation/people/region that actually existed? Historical or legendary? If historical, does Frisia still exist? Where is it located?
Frisia[a] is a cross-border cultural region in Northwestern Europe. encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of Germany.
Why is our Seamus Heaney text italicized starting in line 1070?
Hrothgar is hosting a banquet to celebrate and reward Beowulf after the slaying of Grendel.
The scop comes forward to sing the saga of Finn
Does the Beowulf manuscript also italicize text starting at line 1070?
??
king of the danes
hrothgar
Shield Sheafson
The legendary Danish king from whom Hrothgar is descended
Beow
son of Shield Sheafson and father of Halfdane. his name means barley
grendel
A monstrous and malevolent creature descended from Cain. Grendel terrorizes the hall of Heorot and battles Beowulf in a fierce encounter.
Halfdane
The father of Hrothgar, Heorogar, Halga, and an unnamed daughter who married a king of the Swedes, Halfdane succeeded Beow as ruler of the Danes.
Wealtheow
Hrothgar’s wife, the gracious queen of the Danes.
unferth
character in the court of Hrothgar. initially challenges Beowulf’s credibility and bravery, foil to beowulf. Unferth is unable or unwilling to fight Grendel, thus proving himself inferior to Beowulf.
un=not werf=peace, not peace, he is someone that is offended
Hygelac
Beowulf’s uncle, king of the Geats, and husband of Hygd. Hygelac heartily welcomes Beowulf back from Denmark.
Ecgtheow
Beowulf’s father, Hygelac’s brother-in-law, and Hrothgar’s friend.
Breca
Beowulf’s childhood friend, whom he defeated in a swimming match. Unferth alludes to the story of their contest, and Beowulf then relates it in detail.
Sigemund
A figure from Norse mythology, famous for slaying a dragon. Sigemund’s story is told in praise of Beowulf and foreshadows Beowulf’s encounter with the dragon.
finn
a Frisian king, married to Hnaf’s sister
hnaef
a Danish king, killed by Finn; Hildeburh’s brother
What happens in the finn episode
finn episode
hildeburh the danish princess marries finn king of friesland, bears a son
there is a fight and h’s brother hnaef is killed. so is her son
hengest takes charge and a truce is called
equal quarters and parity of traeatment to the jutes
H orders that the corpses of her brother, the Danish leader Hnaef, and her son, a Frisian warrior, be burned on the same bier
danes revolt and kill finn after a long winter
h returned to land of the danes
give examples of digressions in beowulf
The Tale of Sigemund: In the hall of the Danes, a scop recounts the legend of Sigemund, a dragon-slayer and heroic figure. This story serves as a parallel to Beowulf’s own exploits and adds a layer of thematic depth to the narrative by exploring the concept of heroism and the challenges faced by legendary figures.
what is the Volsung saga
The Volsung Saga is a legendary Norse saga that tells the story of the Volsungs, a legendary family descended from the god Odin. the sigmund digression in beowulf is the first appearance of this
who is fitela
son of sigmund?
Alliteration
consecutive words in a sequence begin with the same consonant sound
JuliusCaesar
Roman statesman, military general, and dictator
Comitatus
band of warriors
Sutton Hoo
significant archaeological site in Suffolk, England, where an Anglo-Saxon ship burial and rich grave goods were discovered. We see the viking burial of Shield Sheafson in Beowulf.
Audumla
As the de facto mother of the gods in Norse mythology, the primal cow Audumla reminds us of the Egyptian cow mother-goddess Hathor. Created from the primal ice, Audumla suckled some ice to create buri
visigoths
Germanic tribe
weltanschauung
originally a German word: “a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint – worldview”
Hengist & Horsa
Germanicbrothers said to have led theAngles,SaxonsandJutesin theirsupposed invasionofBritainin the 5th century
hengest
leader of the jutes
characters in the finn episode
Finn, Hnaef, Hengist, Hildeburgh, Hildeburgh’s son
Sympathetic magic
concept rooted in the belief that certain actions or representations of objects can influence events or outcomes by virtue of their symbolic connection
Proto indo european language
the reconstructed common ancestral language believed to have been spoken by the prehistoric Indo-European people from which the diverse Indo-European languages, including Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and others, ultimately evolved.
Ingeld
Ingeld is a character mentioned in Beowulf, particularly in a digression known as the Finnsburg Episode. In this episode, Ingeld is portrayed as a future ruler among the Heathobards (a Germanic tribe), and he is given in marriage to a woman named Freawaru, who is the daughter of Hrothgar, the Danish king
Finn Fragment:
the shorter, more fragmented passage which describes the attack on the hall of Finn by the Danes. It provides some context for the events surrounding the feud between the Danes and the Frisians (Heathobards) but is not as detailed or developed as the Finnsburg Episode.
Finnesburg fragment
more extended and elaborated section of Beowulf that narrates the events related to the feud between the Danes and the Heathobards. It includes the marriage of Hrothgar’s daughter Freawaru to the Heathobard prince Ingeld and the subsequent conflicts that arise.
Nowell Codex
manuscript containing Beowulf
Cotton MS Vitellius A. xv
the bound volume containing Beowulf.
1066
Norman Conquest.
55 BC
Caesar invades Britain.
410 AD
Sack of Rome
597 AD
he arrival of Augustine of Canterbury, a benedictine monk sent by Pope Gregory I to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. beginning of the Christianization
4,500 BC
PROTO-INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGES
1000 AD
Beowulf written on parchment; the bound volume containing the Beowulf manuscript is known as “Cotton MS Vitellius A. xv
680 AD
EARLIEST POSSIBLE DATE FOR COMPOSITION of beowulf
Danes initially suffer a loss at the hands of Finn, king of the Frisians. Is this a nation/people/region that actually existed? Historical or legendary? If historical, does Frisia still exist? Where is it located?
Frisia, historically inhabited by the Frisians, is indeed a region that existed and continues to exist today. Frisia is a coastal region along the southeastern corner of the North Sea, encompassing parts of modern-day Netherlands and Germany. The Frisians were a Germanic people, and their historical presence in the area is attested through various sources.
Putsch
Forcible and illegitimate attempt to seize power.
Kenning
A device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities, as in “ring-giver” for king and “whale-road” for ocean.
King Heremod
An evil king of legend. The scop, or bard, at Heorot discusses King Heremod as a figure who contrasts greatly with Beowulf.
Weland
The legendary, magical blacksmith who made Beowulf’s armor.
449 AD
Anglo-Saxon leaders Hengist and Horsa are said to have been invited to Britain by Vortigern, a British leader, to assist in repelling Pictish and Scottish invasions
Old english letters
Thorn = þ Þ
Eth = ð Đ
Ash = æ Æ
angles
one of the main Germanic peoples[2] who settled in Great Britain in the post-Roman period.
